ROOM SHARING? HOW? WHAT?

There is nothing magical or expensive that needs to happen. Preparation, boundaries, and choices are the most important tools to ensure your children not only share a room, but get their best rest.

Have full understanding that it is completely doable to have your children, at any ages, share a room. There may be an easier age to ensure that things fall into place quicker, but it is doable at any age.

Stated above were the three words: Preparation, Similarities in Boundaries & Schedules and Child Choices.

PREPARATION: So, how do we prepare our children for sharing a room?

Dark Room
Double up on the Sound Machine
Sleep Independently
Conversations

How do you darken the room?

The easiest and cheapest way for this is to buy black poster board or use aluminum foil. The more expensive way to provide more of a wall between the children is ordering and using the Slumberpod if any child is in the pack n play or crib.

Doubling up on the sound machine

A sound machine is beneficial (ensuring both are no louder than 50db) so that each child has their own white noise to soothe them, but also, block out the other child’s distractions. Another smart idea is to have a box fan in the room also, which provides extra noise, but keeps them cool as well.

Knowing that both children can put themselves to sleep is,

Having independent sleepers makes the transition easier. Eliminating the bedtime protest allows there not the extra distractions of a sibling needing mom to help them get to sleep, but rather they both know to lay in their beds and fall asleep without anything other than the soothing sound machine and a dark room.

Conversations are key

Frequent conversations and explanations of what this room sharing change will look like is extremely important for our older kids. Children thrive when they feel as if, they have control! Begin having conversations with them a week before the change. In these conversations let them have control by asking them if they would like to have one sound machine over the other, ask if they would like to have the books closer to their bed or their siblings. Discuss with them why they are room sharing, maybe a simple, “because we want you guys to be closer together/ the spare room is going to be used for a playroom, it will give more space for your toys” will help state the why.

Discuss what room sharing will look like. An example of this being: The room will be dark, there will be two beds, each of you will have your own sound machine and each will be expected to sleep all night until a parent comes and gets you both when it is morning!

Consistency & Bedtime Staggering:

If the boundary of independent sleep was prepared and set out for them before they shared a room then, it should stay in place once they share a room.

If your oldest wakes at 7am and the youngest child wakes at 8am then, practice “sneaking” out of the room with your oldest child. Say they have a hatch and their light turns green at 7am so they know they are able to get out of bed, we will put their bed closer to the door and teach them how to quietly exit without waking their sibling.

When your littles know how to fall asleep independently things can feel more flexible. Say, the younger child, eight months, needs a 7:30 pm bedtime, but your oldest who is four needs an 8pm bedtime, you will just stagger the bedtime and put the eight month old down first and then, the four year old. This staggering also works when their bedtime is needing to be around the same time. You would just put one down ten minutes before the other and then, lay the other child down. It would be best to lay the youngest child down first and then, the oldest who is more flexible.